What ingredients are needed for the ideal work environment: unlimited private snacking, hanging out in your jammies all day, doing what you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That sounds like a recipe for working at home!

Oops, stop there.

Successful stay-at-home workers all agree these negative behaviors inhibit productivity. So, why work from home? Among the many reasons, avoiding commuting saves time and money. When building a new home or addition, it’s easiest to designate space for a home office. It is possible, however, to create a productive home office in just about any space. We don’t recommend busy areas like the bathroom or kitchen.

Interior designers tell you to chose an area and emphasize what that space is for. The use of a desk, chair, and computer is a good place to start. An ergonomic office chair will keep you comfortable. To encourage productivity, get rid of clutter, organize like-objects together, and make it light and bright. Proper lighting allows us to see better and natural sunlight lifts the mood. It’s also important to make it your own by choosing colors you like and adding décor that you love.

Recommendations to work successfully from home include:

Maintain a routine. Grooming, meals, exercise, and mental breaks are needed at the same time every day to operate at peak performance.

List daily tasks and stick to it before going to bed.

No family or friends are invited. This includes social media. Enforce boundaries.

Use technology to your advantage. A noise-canceling headset with mute button will keep distracting noise from barking dogs or emergency vehicle horns from distracting a business call.